A Greenleaf Breeze
by Claudaujay
Summary: Leafpool has made a lot of mistakes. She never intended to fall in love with Crowfeather, and every day, she lives regretting the secrets she now has to keep. But it seems that love is something she can never escape from, and maybe the cat who finally brings her happiness might just be the one who has lost the most.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey guys! I'm back again with a new story called A Greenleaf Breeze.**

 **So as you've probably gathered from the summary, this is a LeafXAsh crack short story. Leafpool and Ashfur have always been a personal favourite of mine, and so I started to write this fanfic. In truth, I've actually had this idea for a long, long time. I'd considered writing a one-shot on the idea but I never really got round to it, so eventually, I decide to turn it into this. XD**

 **Before I start a story, I usually like to post an allegiances page or something like that, but if I'm honest, you guys probably know all the allegiances already. I'm using real characters, and it's set post The Sight/early Dark River chapters. If you want to have another quick look at the characters, you can go and have a look at the allegiances pages on the Warriors Wiki for The Sight. Obviously, the main characters are Ashfur and Leafpool, but you probably didn't need me to tell you that. :)**

 **So this is Chapter One, and I'll get to work on Chapter Two probably after I've finished Chapter Seven of Slaves. I apologise to anyone reading that story, but I felt like I needed to take a break from Slaves. I was lacking a bit of inspiration, but in the mean time, I really hope you like this!**

 **Please RR! XDXDXDXDXD**

* * *

 **A Greenleaf Breeze**

 **Chapter One:**

As Leafpool watched her Clanmates coming and going through the camp entrance, she couldn't help but feel a little melancholy. The now painfully familiar feeling washed over her like a ripple over the lake; she recognised all of them, Cloudtail, Sorreltail, the deputy Brambleclaw. The tabby brown tom was assembling the sun high patrol, shouting out his orders with authoritative conviction. His tone was brisk, his expression calm, almost nonchalant. The warriors around him nodded, used to the way Brambleclaw organised his patrols.

It was all very normal, the conventional sort of things that happened every day in ThunderClan. The warriors went out on patrols around the borders, hunting for their Clan, while she reorganised her stores with her apprentice, Jaypaw, and collected herbs for the coming seasons. So why did she feel so sad?

In a way, she'd felt like this ever since the day Crowfeather had left.

As soon as the thought of the WindClan tom entered Leafpool's mind, she shook her head in annoyance. _No_ , she told herself, _don't think about him._ It would only make it worse. But now that she had, she knew there was no chance of forgetting it. Leafpool let out a long, resigned sigh. She remembered Crowfeather's soft scent, and his soothing touch. The feel of his tail intertwined with her own, and the sound of his purrs whenever they met. She closed her eyes, lost in the memories.

But, along with those happy memories, came the ones that Leafpool would've preferred to forget. The look of desperation on his face when he begged her not to return to ThunderClan, the acceptance in his handsome blue eyes when she told him she had no choice…

Leafpool opened her eyes once more, she was back in ThunderClan, watching the patrols leave the camp. The sun burnt brightly in the clear blue Greenleaf sky, and she was standing alone by the medicine cat den. When Leafpool had been just an apprentice, under the guidance of her mentor, Cinderpelt, she use'd to love learning about all the roles and responsibilities of a medicine cat. It wasn't like she'd lost all of her love and enthusiasm for the art of healing, but StarClan, sometimes she couldn't help but envy the thing that all of the warriors took for the granted. The freedom to love.

Leafpool glanced away from the camp entrance, over to the fresh kill pile. Even as the thought crossed her mind, she noticed her father, Firestar, emerging from the leader's den. His ginger fur caught the sun's rays, making him seem like he was ablaze with fire. His green eyes glowed like emeralds. They were scanning the cats below him, searching for one cat in particular. Finally, they rested upon Leafpool's mother, Sandstorm, sat beneath the High-Ledge with a juicy looking sparrow at her paws. He smiled, before padding down from his vantage point on the Highledge towards her, and resting his muzzle on her cheek. Leafpool's eyes narrowed at the sight. She knew it was awful to feel jealous, especially of her own mother and father! But she couldn't help it. She longed for the gentle voice of a tom whispering in her ear, but she didn't just want any old tom, she wanted Crowfeather.

And she missed him. She missed him so much.

Leafpool tore her eyes away from Firestar and Sandstorm's embrace. She couldn't bare to see them so happy together. _You're so selfish Leafpool!_ she thought angrily. _Stop moping around feeling sorry for yourself. You're a medicine cat, and love is forbidden._

Her resolve made her nod. She tried to expel Crowfeather from her mind, concentrating on her duties as a medicine cat. She had work to do.

Slowly, the she-cat turned around, away from the sight of Firestar and Sandstorm, and padded into the medicine cat den. The strong aromas of her herbs wafted into her nostrils. To her, there was no better smell around the whole of the lake than a herb store fully stocked in Greenleaf. She looked at them all, comfrey, marigold, borage, all neatly arranged in rows. Except, Leafpool noted, they were running a little low on poppy seeds. She would go and collect some later.

'Leafpool?'

The she-cat turned her head as the voice echoed through the den. It as her apprentice, Jaypaw. The tom's sightless blue eyes blinked rapidly as he raised his head from his nest. He had only just woken up. Leafpool usually made him get up when she did, at the crack of dawn, but she'd allowed him to lie in that day. He had seemed so peaceful, lying in his nest; she just hadn't had the heart to wake him up.

After all, Jaypaw wasn't just Leafpool's was so much more than that. Leafpool had a terrible secret. Not only had she broken the warrior code by falling in love with Crowfeather, but she'd also-

She was thinking about him again. In frustration, her voice came out sounding much annoyed than she'd intended.

'Yes Jaypaw?' Leafpool snapped.

The blue grey tom sat up in his nest, staring forward unflinchingly. 'It's sunhigh,' he mumured, sounded grumpy that he'd been woken up.

Quickly, Leafpool licked her chest self-consciously, composing herself. 'Yes,' she replied. 'You slept in late.'

Jaypaw glared at her. His eyes were blank, but there was something unnerving in his expression. 'Why didn't you wake me up?' he said accusingly.

Leafpool frowned. Her apprentice sounded almost aggressive. She knew that the two of them got off on the wrong paw. Jaypaw had never wanted to be a medicine cat, it had always been his ambition to become a warrior. But Leafpool had foreseen that it was his destiny to become a medicine cat, and eventually, Jaypaw had agreed to become her apprentice, partly out of acceptance, partly because he'd realised it was impossible for him to be a warrior because of his blindness. Either way, he had been devastated. He had to blame someone, and consequently, he often took out his anger on Leafpool.

It hurt her to see him so depressed, but the fact that he blamed her hurt all the more.

'I let you have a lie in,' she defended herself sternly. 'You've been working hard recently, and I thought you could use a break.'

Jaypaw continued to glare at her for a few more moments, before he snorted and looked away. 'Whatever.'

There was a long, awkward silence, before Leafpool coughed. 'Well, if you've got nothing better to do than sit around,' she said, 'then I've got a job for you.' She gestured over to her dwindling supply of poppy seeds. 'We're running a little low. I'd appreciate it if you went out and collected some more.'

Leafpool thought that Jaypaw might refuse to do what she said, but he didn't protest. Instead, he just stood up and padded over to the entrance. Their eyes met just as he was about to leave. They were full of undisguised dislike.

Leafpool watched him go with a sinking feeling in her gut. She didn't want Jaypaw to hate her. She didn't want _anyone_ to hate her, especially not him. A miserable feeling passed over her. She sat down in her nest, staring at the place where her son had just stood. Sometimes, she wished that she'd never returned to ThunderClan. Sometimes, she wished that she'd never even met Crowfeather. Then, maybe she wouldn't have this awful secret, maybe Cinderpelt would still be alive, and maybe her life wouldn't be such a mess.

* * *

 **Ashfur's POV:**

The lake was totally still. Ashfur was stood at the edge of the shore, glaring down at his reflection, displayed clearly in the unmoving water. It seemed there was hardly sound in the whole forest. His pale blue eyes were narrowed as he looked at himself in the water, a question beheld in their depths. It was a question he had thought he'd known the answer to, but ever since… ever since _her,_ he hadn't been so sure.

It was past sunhigh. The sun burnt brightly in the sky, illuminating everything below it in a golden glow. It's rays reflected off the surface of the water, making the lake look majestic. Ashfur remembered when he'd first seen the lake, when all the Clans, walking as one, had emerged from the top of what was now WindClan's territory. He remembered the certainty that he'd felt within him, that after sunrise after sunrise of seemingly endless travel, they'd finally found their new home. He had barely been a warrior back then, and now, after moons living beside the lake, he was now a senior warrior.

So it was ironic that, when Ashfur looked at his own reflection, he hardly recognised himself anymore. It seemed to him that he was a completely different cat, one broken by loss and heartbreak. Yes, it was certain he was no longer the same Ashfur that had arrived at the lake. The tom looked disapprovingly at the ruffled grey pelt, that no matter how much he groomed, never looked quite as young as it had used to. He looked over the annoyed, almost confused, expression on his face, and the aged look in his blue eyes. StarClan, he felt old.

 _It's because of her!_ a familiar voice snarled inside his head. _It's because of Squirrelflight!_

The mere thought of the ginger she-cat made his claws unsheathe. A long low growl echoed from within his throat. Anger blew inside him like a storm. Squirrelflight was everything that he despised. _She_ was the reason he had changed so much. _She_ was the reason his heart had broken in two. He imagined sinking his claws into the she-cat's throat, and scratching the smile she had on her face off whenever she talked with her mate, Brambleclaw. How he pitied the ThunderClan deputy for falling in love with a mangy piece of foxdung like her! How he pitied himself! The monstrous voice inside his head purred it's approval.

Suddenly, Ashfur stopped. His whiskers twitched with bitter sadness and regret. _But StarClan, I envy Brambleclaw._ Just what would he give to be with Squirrelflight? To touch her soft ginger fur, and sleep with her at night, and listen to her voice whispering in his ear. The thought almost made him smile.

But then, the anger sharper than ice returned. 'That doesn't matter!' he growled under his breath. 'Soon enough, I'll have my revenge. I'll show Squirrelflight the true meaning of the pain she caused me!'

Suddenly, something flashed in front of his eyes. He remembered that evening, with the foxtrap. He'd tried once before, to get his revenge, and he'd come so close to succeeding. Agonisingly close. But Brambleclaw had foiled his and Hawkfrost's plan, at the very last moment. Firestar had survived.

 _But next time, I won't fail. Next time, Squirrelflight will suffer, more than she would've done if Firestar had died._ Ashfur smirked. _Oh yes, revenge will be sweet._

'Ashfur!'

The familiar voice echoed in his ears. Ashfur's eyes narrowed, and he turned away from the lake to see one of the sunhigh patrols appearing from the forest undergrowth. There were four cats on the patrol, Whitewing, Cloudtail, Dustpelt, led by Brambleclaw. His voice was the one that Ashfur had heard calling out to him. The deputy strutted out of the bush, leading the patrol with obvious confidence. Ashfur felt like snarling at him. _Arrogant piece of foxdung,_ he thought.

'Ashfur,' Brambleclaw repeated, looking surprised. 'There you are.'

'Evidently,' the dark grey tom muttered.

Thankfully, the deputy didn't appear to hear him. 'I didn't see you back in camp,' he continued. 'I was going to put you on a patrol, but you weren't there.'

 _Oh yes,_ Ashfur thought. _Patrols._ He'd left camp before sunrise. The thought that he might've been needed on a patrol hadn't even crossed his mind. The tom forced himself to keep the hostility out of his voice. 'Sorry Brambleclaw,' he said through gritted teeth. 'I just needed a breath of fresh air. I didn't sleep too well.'

Brambleclaw shrugged, although he didn't look entirely satisfied. 'Yes, well next time, make sure to report to me before you leave camp like that, okay?' He glanced backwards, at the other members of the patrol. 'In fact, now that we've found you, you might as well join us for the rest of the patrol. We're heading to the ShadowClan border.'

Ashfur nodded curtly. 'Yes, Brambleclaw.'

The brown tabby tilted his head in return, before turning his back on Ashfur and padding further down the lakeshore, leading them towards the ShadowClan border. The patrol followed him quickly. Dustpelt and Cloudtail went to stand at Brambleclaw's shoulder, whereas Ashfur felt into step beside Whitewing.

'Hey Ashfur!' the white she-cat greeted him warmly.

He grunted in reply, keeping his eyes fixed on the ground. It was Squirrelflight he really hated, but Brambleclaw annoyed him almost as much. He couldn't believe that the son of a cold blooded murderer like Tigerstar was actually one of the most powerful cats in ThunderClan. What had Firestar been thinking, making Brambleclaw deputy?

'It sure is nice now it's Greenleaf,' Whitewing said, glancing up at the cloudless blue sky with a smile on her face. 'I wish it could be like this all year long.'

Ashfur agreed with her absently. He wasn't really listening. His thoughts were on Squirrelflight.

The she-cat paused, sensing that he wasn't in the mood for small talk. 'What's up?' she asked. 'Is there something wrong?'

Ashfur didn't reply, choosing to stay quiet.

A look of concern passed over Whitewing's usually cheerful face. 'Did you have a rough night?' she whispered, so that the other cats on the patrol couldn't hear them. 'You said you didn't get much sleep.'

Ashfur looked at her, wondering whether he could trust her. It was odd of him to think like that. He had known Whitewing ever since she had been a kit, back in the old forest. They'd always been friends, perhaps not close enough to confide in each other their secrets, but certainly friends. So why he felt so mistrustful confused him.

He shook his head. 'Sorry Whitewing,' he said, refusing to meet her gaze. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty about lying to her, but he wasn't going to tell her why he had really left camp. 'I just had a bad nightmare.'

Whitewing hesitated, as if unsure whether she was pressing him too much. 'Are you sure?' she said eventually.

'Of course!' Ashfur snapped. 'Why wouldn't I?'

Whitewing recoiled as if she'd been struck. 'It's just that you always seem so depressed at the moment!' she exclaimed, sounding hurt.

'It's none of your concern.'

Whitewing's eyes contracted a little. 'Why wouldn't it be my concern?' she demanded. 'I'm your friend.'

'That doesn't matter!' Ashfur retorted. 'It's none of your business.'

'What happened to you, Ashfur?' the she-cat sniffed. 'You've changed. Ever since-' she trailed off, twitching her paws anxiously.

Ashfur fixed his eyes on her. They held a hint of a threat. 'Ever since what, Whitewing?' he said coldly.

She looked up and met his gaze. Dark blue latched onto pale green. She looked intimidated, and perhaps a bit scared. But Ashfur was too angry to feel sorry, or sympathetic. All he could feel was passion, and the fury that flowed through his veins so often nowadays. Whitewing didn't deserve it, but he was too taken away in his emotion to think properly.

Eventually, the she-cat lowered her head, unable to hold Ashfur's ferocious stare for any longer. The tom suddenly realised how heavily he was breathing. His tail was twitching as if it had a life of it's own. Slowly, he turned his head to see the rest of the patrol had stopped, and were looking directly at him. Brambleclaw seemed disapproving, but Cloudtail, Whitewing's father, just looked angry.

Ashfur glanced back at Whitewing for a second. He could tell that she was upset, but he wasn't going to apologise. She shouldn't have asked him about Squirrelflight.

'I'm going back to camp,' Ashfur said bluntly. 'Finish the patrol without me.'

At this, Brambleclaw was ready to give Ashfur a bad scolding, but before the deputy could open his mouth, he had already begun to pad away. Brambleclaw shouted at him, ordering him to return, but Ashfur wasn't listening. In fact, he wasn't listening to anything in the whole world. His whole body felt numb, and his head was ringing.

He broke into a run. The shrubs and bushes passed like a blur around him. _What in StarClan's name are you doing?_ Ashfur thought. _Whitewing was just asking if you were okay._

Once again, the icy voice rose up inside him. _Well she shouldn't have!_ it snarled. _She had the nerve to talk about Squirrelflight right to my face. She said that I'd changed. She has no idea of the pain I'm feeling!_

As the forest became unfamiliar around him, Ashfur started to slow down. He hadn't done as he'd said he would, and gone back to camp. If anything, he'd managed to run further away. The tom fell into a walk, and then finally came to a stop in the shadow of a huge oak tree. The sun continued to shine just as strongly overhead. Ashfur wished it would stop. He didn't want the sun. He wanted it to rain, rain until he was soaked to the bone.

Slowly, he rested his head against the rough back of the tree. It felt coarse and uncomfortable in contrast to his soft fur. 'What am I doing?' he murmured to himself. 'What's happened to me?'

He looked up, through the canopy of the forest above him, searching for something to reassure him. Surely StarClan would show him a sign?

But the ever silent forest gave him no answer. There weren't any stars in the sky above. Nothing at all.

Ashfur had never felt more alone.

* * *

 **So what do you think? A decent start? This chapter was mostly just setting up the characters and stuff. In the next chapter I'll get straight to the point with Ashfur and Leafpool's relationship.**

 **Please RR! It really keeps me motivated. :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Hello everyone, and welcome back to A Greenleaf's Breeze!**

 **So Chapter Two has arrived! Yep, I know it took awhile, but I had to finish Chapter Seven of Slaves before I wrote this. I think I'm probably going to start rotating these two stories, so I'll write a chapter of Slaves, then a chapter of this, and so on. But anyway, here are my replies to your reviews on Chapter One! :)**

 **Silverflame 002: Thanks very much for your review! I'm glad you enjoyed the first chapter, and the moral support was much appreciated as well. XD**

 **Russian Blue: Thanks for your review! Yeah, it is frustrating how a lot of authors on fanfiction don't manage to finish their stories, but I should hopefully finish this one. I always like to finish whatever I start.**

 **So in this chapter, we start to get some interaction between Leafpool and Ashfur. Obviously, their relationship is still in very early stages, and it will possibly be a chapter or two more before their relationship really starts to blossom. Also, in this chapter we learn more about Leafpool's relationship with Squirrelflight, which I hope you enjoy.**

 **Other than that, please RR!**

* * *

 **A Greenleaf Breeze**

 **Chapter Two:**

The next day was even hotter than the last. Many of the puddles around the territory had dried up overnight, and the camp was drier than usual. Leafpool looked out over the top of the smooth rocky walls and out into the forest. She felt too hot and oddly tired to go out, and besides, there wasn't much to do. Jaypaw had come back with all the poppy seeds they'd required yesterday. It would've been wasteful to collect any more herbs, so she'd let both her and her apprentice have a day off. Leafpool knew it would do her a world of good. She couldn't remember the last time she'd managed to relax.

The gentle stroke of a cat's tongue washed over her shoulder. Leafpool turned her head to see her sister, Squirrelflight smiling at her warmly. She smiled back. The two of them were sharing tongues, enjoying the feel of the sun's rays on their backs. Leafpool appreciated the comfort of her sister's presence; it was no mystery to the rest of the Clan that the two of them were close, perhaps closer than most. She liked to think that they had a special connection, a kind of bond that linked them together no matter where they were. Squirrelflight wasn't just her littermate, Leafpool also considered the ginger she-cat to be her closest friend. The one that she always turned to when was in need, and how she'd needed that friendship over the past few moons.

Leafpool returned Squirrelflight's gesture by licking her shoulder back, which earned a purr. The intimacy of the moment touched her.

As the medicine cat drew away, Squirrelflight nudged her cheek gently. 'This is nice, isn't it?' she said, stretching out luxuriously. 'Greenleaf has been better than usual this year.'

Leafpool nodded in agreement. 'The last time it was this hot, we still lived in the old forest.'

'Yeah, the old forest was nice, but I actually think I prefer our new territory,' her sister replied. 'We're more protected in this camp, and hunting's definitely a lot easier.'

Leafpool's whiskers twitched in amusement. 'I'm not surprised you prefer this camp!' she laughed. 'You did find it, after all!'

Squirrelflight blushed a little, but the pride was evident in her voice. 'I guess I would like it more if I found it,' she sighed happily. 'Brambleclaw and I fell into this place on that first scouting patrol.'

The brown tabby she-cat almost rolled her eyes. She'd heard the story many times.'How are things with you and Brambleclaw?' Leafpool asked. 'Still happy?'

'More than that, it's going great!' Squirrelflight's eyes were wide with enthusiasm. 'I think you were right when you said that we were destined to be together.'

For some reason, Leafpool felt vaguely surprised. There always seemed to be something wrong in their relationship. 'No arguments?' she pressed. 'No problems?'

Squirrelflight shook her head, sounding relieved. 'Nope.' Then, her voice took on a more serious tone. 'And how are you? Do you still miss Crowfeather?'

Instantly, Leafpool's cheerful mode hadn't wanted the conversation to turn to Crowfeather, in fact, she would've been satisfied if they'd never talked about him again. But she knew she couldn't be annoyed at Squirrelflight. Her sister was just concerned about her.

'Not as much anymore,' Leafpool lied. She looked away, avoiding Squirrelflight's gaze. 'I think I'm starting to get over him.'

The ginger she-cat seemed thoroughly unconvinced. 'Look, I know you well enough to know when you're not telling the truth,' she said. 'You can can talk to me about it, you know that right?'

When Leafpool didn't reply, Squirrelflight continued. 'What about…' she glanced from side to side, before whispering quietly. 'What about your kits? I know you see Jaypaw everyday, but what about Lionpaw and Hollypaw? Do you-'

'Please, Squirrelflight,' Leafpool interrupted, with a hint of desperation. 'I don't want to talk about it.'

Squirrelflight looked at her sadly, before shaking her head. 'Okay.'

There was a pause where neither of the she-cats said anything. Leafpool felt aggrieved. She hated that she hadn't wanted to open up to her sister about how she was feeling, the cat she usually trusted with all of her secrets. But Squirrelflight had been so happy! Why should she trouble someone with her own problems, problems that would only ruin that happiness?

Quickly, Leafpool decided to change the subject. 'So what's the gossip around camp?' she questioned, with forced light heartedness. 'There must be something interesting going on.'

Squirrelflight shrugged. 'Nothing much,' she muttered.

'Oh come on!' Leafpool encouraged.

The ginger she-cat stopped to think for a second. 'Well, there was what happened on patrol yesterday, but you wouldn't be interested in that.'

'Yes I would!' the medicine cat exclaimed. She shuffled closer until she was pressed up against Squirrelflight's flank. 'Tell me about what happened out on patrol.' _Anything to get us talking again,_ Leafpool thought in her head.

Still, Squirrelflight didn't say a word, before finally, she opened her mouth and spoke. 'Well, I don't really know much about it, since I wasn't on the patrol. Brambleclaw told me mostly,' she said. 'Apparently, Ashfur was acting up strangely. He was really rude to Whitewing, and then he disobeyed a direct order from Brambleclaw!'

Leafpool's ears twitched in surprise. 'Really?' she echoed. That didn't sound like Ashfur. She'd always imagined the grey tom to be the kind of cat that just got on with things.

Squirrelflight nodded gravely. 'That's what Brambleclaw said,' she replied. 'It spread around the camp really quickly. A lot of cats said they'd been expecting him to do something like that eventually, because of, um,' she stopped, 'particular reasons.'

The brown tabby frowned. _Particular reasons?_ she thought, confused. _What does she mean by- oh._ Suddenly, she realised. _That._

Leafpool had forgotten the affair between Squirrelflight and Ashfur, or rather, the non-affair. After the Great Journey, Brambleclaw and Squirrelflight had squabbled, and Ashfur had been the cat her sister turned to. He had always liked Squirrelflight, and although she was oblivious to his feelings, they started to get quite close. Leafpool had even thought that they might become mates, had it not been for the sign she had seen from StarClan, the message telling her that Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw were destined to be together. In the end, the omen turned out to be true. Ashfur had been heartbroken but she'd assumed that he was over that by now.

Leafpool decided not to mention the subject, just in case it brought up hard feelings. 'Poor Whitewing,' she murmured instead. 'She must feel hurt. I know they're good friends.'

'Poor Whitewing?' Squirrelflight snarled, with an anger in her expression which shocked Leafpool. 'What about poor Brambleclaw? I can't believe Ashfur undermined his authority like that. It must've been so embarrassing!'

For some reason, Leafpool felt her eyes narrow a little. She felt like Squirrelflight was being unreasonable. 'I'm sure he didn't mean to show up Brambleclaw,' she said, keeping her voice as level as possible. 'Perhaps he was just upset.'

'Upset?' her sister retorted. 'It's been moons since all that happened. He should've moved on by now! He was clearly just doing it to wind Brambleclaw up.'

Leafpool knew that was uncalled for. Squirrelflight was being completely unfair. _She has no idea what might be going on in Ashfur's head!_ she thought sympathetically. _He might be feeling awful for all she knows._ Suddenly, Leafpool found herself looking around the clearing, searching for one cat amongst the ThunderClan crowd, and soon her eyes rested on Ashfur. He was sitting alone, just outside of the warrior's den. There was a piece of prey by his side, but he wasn't eating. Instead, he was staring absently out into the distance, beyond the camp, and out onto the horizon. The sight of him like that made her feel desperately sorry for him. _Poor cat,_ she thought. _Squirrelflight's wrong about how he should've moved on. I know better than anyone that time can't heal some wounds._

Ashfur, seeming to notice that a cat was looking at him, turned his head towards her. For a moment, their eyes met. He glanced to her side, to where Squirrelflight was sitting, before snorting and looking away.

Leafpool blinked, before shaking herself. What am I thinking? she asked herself, before she turned back towards her sister.

'Squirrelflight,' she rasped, as softly as she could. 'I think you're being a little harsh. It's not like he was just rude to Brambleclaw, remember, he snapped at Whitewing as well. We all need to let out our anger now and again, after all.'

Squirrelflight's face was sour. 'If you say so, Leafpool,' she said, getting to her paws and pulling away from her sister's warmth. 'I have to go out on patrol. I'll see you later.'

Leafpool watched her go, regretting she'd said anything now. Her sister clearly hadn't been too happy that she'd disagreed with her, and even though she was certain Squirrelflight had been wrong, she didn't want them to argue. It seemed she had a habit of messing things up though. The she-cat rested her head against the camp wall, trying to forget all the things that were preying on her mind. It was strange that the sun didn't feel quite so satisfying on her pelt anymore.

For some reason, she found herself glancing back at Ashfur. He was watching Squirrelflight pad away as well.

* * *

Despite the beautiful weather, Ashfur felt remarkably melancholy. His blue eyes trailed the figure of the ginger she-cat as she headed over to a few of the other warriors, who were collecting for their patrol. He was glad that Brambleclaw wasn't there as well. Watching the two of them together, he had found, was painful.

Making sure to keep one eye on Squirrelflight, he thought about what he'd just seen between her and Leafpool. The main reason he'd sat down with his prey had been to get some time away from his clan-mates. Ever since what had happened out on the patrol yesterday, he'd been the gossip of the Clan. Ashfur hated the way they looked at him. It hadn't been anger that they'd shown towards him, more… well, he could only describe it as pity. Ashfur didn't want their pity. He didn't want anything from them.

Which was why he had been so surprised when Squirrelflight and Leafpool had chosen to sit down nearby. He hadn't been able to listen in on their conversation, but he'd known that, after awhile, they'd started to talking about him. The way that Squirrelflight's face had contorted with a mixture of anger and frustration had made it obvious enough. But then, Leafpool had turned her head towards him. He had stared straight back at the medicine cat, refusing to be unnerved, but there had been an emotion in her eyes that had done just that. He'd had to look away. He'd had to.

Quickly, Ashfur shoved the thought away. _Don't think about it,_ the furious voice inside his head told him, _she's just the same as her sister._

His tail writhed like an angered snake as he went back to watching to Squirrelflight. The she-cat was leaving the camp with her patrol members at her side, but Ashfur wasn't interested in them. As she padded out, he could see some of the tufts of her ginger pelt being upturned in the light breeze, and as the shape of her flank disappeared into the forest, Ashfur wasn't sure what he was feeling. Fierce passion burnt within him, but a part of him hated Squirrelflight. The part as frozen as ice. She needed to understand the pain that he'd felt, what he suffered every day-

Suddenly, he heard the sound of paw steps heading towards him. Ashfur looked towards where they came from to see a young tom padding over to him. There was a slightly apprehensive look on his face. It was Lionpaw.

Lionpaw was Ashfur's apprentice, and also the one cat in the whole of ThunderClan that Ashfur _hadn't_ wanted to be his apprentice. Why? He was Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw's son. As if seeing his mother everyday wasn't bad enough, Firestar had felt the need to make things worse for him by giving him Lionpaw. It didn't help that even if he hadn't been Squirrelflight's son, Ashfur wouldn't have liked the apprentice anyway. He was loud and frustratingly confident in his own abilities.

'Ashfur,' Lionpaw said, as he reached him. He seemed nervous. 'Can we go out training today? We haven't in awhile.'

Ashfur glared at him, before shaking his head firmly. 'No,' he replied. 'I'm busy at the moment.'

'Doing what?'

'Resting,' the dark grey tom murmured. He considered adding, "thinking about your mother", but then thankfully decided against it.

After that, he'd hoped Lionpaw would go away like he usually did. Whether Ashfur liked him or not, his apprentice was loyal enough to obey an order from his mentor. But this time, he stayed where he was. 'You said that two day ago,' Lionpaw returned, sounding disgruntled. 'And the day before that.'

Ashfur wished he could open his mouth and protest, but he knew it was true. He'd been purposefully avoiding Lionpaw for a few sunrises now, and he was perfectly aware that Brambleclaw would get involved if he delayed a training session for much longer. Still, he was desperate to find a way out of it. Any excuse not to spend time with his apprentice would've been valid.

He sighed in exasperation. 'Alright Lionpaw,' Ashfur rasped, getting to his paws. 'I'll take you out for training now.'

Lionpaw's eyes widened in surprise. 'Really?'

'Really.'

'Great!' the ginger apprentice said. He tried to keep his expression level, but the tom's paws were bouncing from side to side excitedly. 'Let's go!'

Ashfur led the two of them away from the fresh-kill pile and over to the camp entrance. A few cats looked up curiously as he passed, but he ignored them them as they padded out into the forest. The sun, at the highest point in the sky of the day, meant that the shadows of the trees were short. Ashfur refused to look back at Lionpaw, who he could tell was looking at him. Instead, the warrior stared straight ahead.

'So, what sort've of training are we going to do?' Lionpaw asked. The enthusiasm was still present in his voice, but the slightly more reserved element he had taken up beforehand was back.

Ashfur stayed silent for a second, before replying. 'Battle training. We'll go to the sandy hollow.'

Although he didn't look over his shoulder, he could tell that Lionpaw was happy with what he'd chosen. It had indeed been a long awhile since they'd done any battle training all, and the last time he'd gone out with Lionpaw they'd done hunting practice. However, the reason Ashfur often decided against doing any battle training was because Lionpaw, admittedly, seemed to have a natural gift for fighting. He had quick instincts and reflexes, and his physical strength would make him into a good warrior in the future. Despite this, Ashfur hated the way Lionpaw used his talent. Whenever he fought, arrogance seemed to crawl of his pelt. _Just like his father,_ Ashfur thoughtspitefully.

When they reached the sandy hollow, Ashfur took up a position on the edge of the dusty ground, facing Lionpaw head on. His apprentice settled down, watching him carefully.

'Right,' Ashfur said, diving straight into the training. 'Tell me, what would you do if I was to charge at you.'

Lionpaw's eyes widened. 'What, right now?'

'Yes, Ashfur hissed impatiently. 'What would you do.'

The young ginger tom eyed him warily. Ashfur could almost hear his brain ticking, working out what would be a good answer to his question. He glanced up at his ears. They were pricked up sharply.

'Well, I guess I would try and block your attack,' the apprentice said finally. 'Try and stand you up.'

 _Mousebrain!_ Ashfur thought. _He overestimates his own ability._ Lionpaw had obviously decided that he had about the same heft in terms of muscle as his mentor, even though he was just an apprentice and his opponent was a fully grown warrior.

'Let's put your tactic to the test,' Ashfur said, smirking a little. Without giving Lionpaw a moment to think, the dark grey tom dropped into a crouch, and with a snarl, charged straight at him.

For a moment, it seemed as though the whole world had gone silent. Ashfur had expected to plough straight the apprentice and knock him down to the ground. After all, everything was in his favour: he was older, presumably stronger and he had the advantage of surprise. But to his shock, Lionpaw stood his ground, raising his paws and using his own momentum to push Ashfur away. His attack hadn't been completely without success though. The force of the impact had knocked Lionpaw off balance. The apprentice rolled on the floor for a moment, breathing heavily.

Ashfur hated to praise the young tom, but he didn't have much choice. 'Well done,' he said reluctantly. 'You did well.'

Lionpaw sat up, looking pleased with himself. At this, Ashfur knew he couldn't let the apprentice think that he'd outfought him. 'But there's still things to improve on,' he snapped. 'The charge still knocked you off balance. If it was a real battle, I would've got up and pounced on you while you were still on the ground. Blocking is a good method if the cat you're facing is the same size as you, but not if they're older and more experienced.'

The young tom nodded, his eyes full of determination. 'Yes Ashfur. I won't make that mistake next time.'

Ashfur spat onto the dusty floor, before getting back up to his paws. 'Again,' he growled. 'And this time, try a different approach.'

They carried on training until late in the day. The warrior continuously battered Lionpaw with charges and leaps, honing in on his apprentice's defensive manoeuvres. It frustrated Ashfur that his apprentice always seemed to have an answer to whatever he threw at him, whether he used brute strength or a more tactical approach. They trained relentlessly for a long, long time, but Lionpaw didn't seem to get tired. It was almost like attacking the wall of the camp. He had known that Lionpaw was talented, but this sort of fighting ability he hadn't expected.

But in a way, this made Ashfur enjoy it all the more. Sometimes, he found himself imagining that it wasn't Lionpaw he was attacking, but Squirrelflight. Battering the she-cat in his mind brought a kind of pleasure to him, one that allowed him to take out the fury inside him without actually hurting anyone. Once or twice, he had to suppress the urge to unsheathe his claws and start attacking her properly. The only reason they finally stopped the training session was because Ashfur started to feel tired himself.

'Okay,' Ashfur said, sitting back on his haunches. His heart was beating furiously against the sides of his chest. 'That's enough.'

'Already?' Lionpaw looked disappointed. The apprentice hadn't even broken a sweat. 'But there's so much more to learn!'

Ashfur stared at him incredulously. _How can't he even be tired?_ he thought. 'We've training for a long time now,' he retorted. 'Look, the sun's beginning to set.'

Lionpaw glanced up at the sky. He too seemed surprise at how the time had passed. 'Whoa,' he said. 'I hardly noticed.'

'Clearly,' Ashfur muttered, through gritted teeth. Slowly, he got to his paws, before padding away from the centre of the sandy hollow. 'Come on,' he called out to his apprentice. 'We're going back to camp.'

Lionpaw didn't argue, instead just choosing to follow him quietly.

On the way back, Ashfur suddenly began to realise just how exhausted he was. Every muscle in his body ached, like he'd run through a thousand bramble bushes backwards. He knew he hadn't been doing as much work as he could've been doing recently, but neither had Lionpaw. So how in StarClan's namehad he been unaffected by the session?

Ashfur despised the fact that Lionpaw appeared to have more endurance than he did. He felt like he'd been shown up, by an _apprentice_ no less.

When they got back to camp, he watched Lionpaw pad back over to the apprentice's den. Somehow, Ashfur was certain that he'd missed something. No matter what appeared to have happened, it just wasn't possible that Lionpaw couldn't have been tired. All the dislike he'd previously felt boiled up in his blood once more. Maybe the sun had been getting to him. It was much hotter than usual, after all.

As he padded down into the camp clearing, Ashfur sniffed the air currents. Squirrelflight hadn't come back to camp with her patrol yet. If he was lucky, she'd never come back again.

* * *

 **As always, I really hope you liked this chapter! Chapter Three of this should be posted after I've finished Chapter Eight of Slaves. Please consider dropping a review, I really appreciate them!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's Note:** **Helllooo people, and welcome back FINALLY to a Greenleaf Breeze.**

 **Yeah, I know this took depressingly long to write, but I was busy writing Slaves, and I wanted to make sure I got this chapter exactly right before I posted it. It's pretty important in the course of the story, as I'm sure you'll find about when you read the rest of this chapter.**

 **But anyway, here are my replies to your reviews:**

 **RussianBlue279- Thanks so much for your continued reviews! I really appreciate them. Yeah, I really enjoy getting into the head of Ashfur as well. He's pretty much my favourite character. :)**

 **I hope your enjoy the chapter! Please RR, and I'll post the next chapter once I've finished up Chapter Nine of Slaves.**

* * *

 **A Greenleaf Breeze**

 **Chapter Three:**

Ashfur, can I have a word with you please?'

The dark grey tomcat wasn't enjoying his day so far. He was starting to get sick of all the seemingly endless sun, as was most of the Clan. It was giving him a headache, and even if he drank, he knew that he'd be thirsty again a few moments later. Ashfur preferred not to leave the camp to find a stream or a puddle several times a day, but that was what he was being forced to do. Even then, the streams and puddles were rare, as most of them had dried up. Unfortunately, it seemed like the heat was showing no signs of stopping. It had been the same sort of weather for about half a moon now. _I never thought it would come to the point where I genuinely started to dislike Greenleaf,_ Ashfur thought _, but it has._

Things for him as a warrior were starting to get worse as well. The whole issue with Whitewing was yet to resolve itself; cats expected him to say sorry, even though it had been the she-cat's fault in the first place. Lionpaw, now that he'd been taken out once, had apparently started to think he was going to be taken out for training daily. If Ashfur was certain of one thing, it was that daily training sessions with Lionpaw were not going to happen any time soon. So all in all, it was no surprise that his leader had decided to come over for a little chat with him.

Firestar had padded over almost as soon as he'd entered the camp. Ashfur wasn't able to reply straight away, as his mouth was full of the prey he'd just caught. Despite the lack of water, he couldn't deny that the forest prey was plentiful, and thankfully, it gave him time to think of a response.

Ashfur emptied his mouth quickly, before addressing the ginger tom. 'Of course,' he said, with forced politeness. 'Go ahead.'

Firestar's ears twitched. 'Preferably alone.'

Ashfur winced. He'd hoped that Firestar wouldn't say that. It meant that what he had to say would most almost definitely be negative. He recovered himself, before speaking again. 'Okay,' he murmured warily. 'Where?'

'My den.' The ginger tom flicked his tail, before turning around and padding over towards the Highledge.

'What about my-'

'You can leave your catch by the fresh kill pile on the way.'

 _Foxdung,_ Ashfur thought bitterly. That was his last excuse gone. It looked as if he was going to be forced to talk with Firestar, and to say he didn't want to was an understatement. The dark grey tom followed reluctantly. He could sense a couple of intruding eyes fixed on his back as he walked, but he made sure not to spare them a second glance.

Looking at his leader, Ashfur wondered if he had ever suspected that he had a part to play in the incident that had left Firestar bleeding helplessly in a foxtrap. When Hawkfrost had first approached him about a plan to kill Firestar, he'd been apprehensive of the RiverClan tom's motives. But it hadn't taken Ashfur long to convince himself to do it. He'd wanted to do it really. The enraged voice inside his head had been so persuasive, whispering words of revenge that echoed in his ears. Ashfur had thought all of his hatred towards Squirrelflight would go away after Firestar had been killed, but of course, Firestar wasn't dead, and the iciness within him had just got colder.

Ashfur dropped his prey on the fresh kill pile as slowly as possible. Firestar didn't bother waiting for him, padding into his den before he could say anything. He considered making a run for it while the ginger tom wasn't looking, but he knew it wouldn't really have made a difference. _Right,_ Ashfur felt like snarling, _lets get this over with._

When he entered the leader's den, he couldn't help but flinch at the disapproving look in Firestar's leaf green eyes. It was rare that Ashfur saw his leader angry; he'd always considered him to be a calm, collected cat, if a little too kind sometimes. Certainly, he'd never seenFirestar angry with him personally, but this was the closest yet. The tom gestured for him to sit down nearby and Ashfur obliged.

'I'm sure it's no mystery to you as to why you're here, Ashfur **,'** Firestar said, curling his tail neatly over his paws.

'Yes Firestar.'

'At least, I hope you know.'

'Yes Firestar.'

The leader took a deep breath, like he was an elder about to repeat a long story to a kit. _Here we go,_ Ashfur thought.

'As a member of ThunderClan, it's your responsibility to commit all of your effort to hunting, patrolling and protecting your Clan,' he told him. 'That, for one, is an integral part of the warrior code.'

'Of course.'

'And although it may not be set out in stone, it is also the responsibility of a member of a Clan to at least go about your duties with dignity,' Firestar added. 'Not, I stress, to mope around with a sour look on your face, feeling sorry for yourself, and overall being rude to every single clan-mate you come across.' He eyed him cautiously. 'For example, Whitewing.'

Ashfur was tempted to snort at the ginger tom, and tell him exactly what he thought about Whitewing at the moment, but naturally, Firestar didn't give him a chance.

'Now, I must admit, I know very little about this whole issue,' he said calmly. 'All I know is that a few of your clan-mates won't stop talking about it, and indeed, about you. Whatever happened on that patrol, whatever you said to each other, the best thing to do would be to forget about it and put the whole thing behind you, right?'

'And I suppose you want me to apologise?' Ashfur shot back, unable to hold his tongue any longer.

Firestar ignored his outburst. 'Really, I'm surprised you and Whitewing even fell out,' he rasped. 'It seemed to me you were very close friends.'

'Maybe, but that was before she started being a mousebrained piece of foxdung to me.'

Again, Firestar decided not to reply to his remark, although Ashfur noticed a flicker of impatience cross over his face. 'Look, you and Whitewing are mature cats. It really shouldn't take your clan leader to usher you in the right direction before you decide to sort out your differences.'

The dark grey tom laughed scathingly. 'Believe me, I have no intention of sorting out any differences with Whitewing.'

'It isn't unreasonable for her to expect an apology.'

'So why is it unreasonable for me to expect one?'

'I don't want a debate about this, Ashfur.' Firestar snapped. 'I expect you to say sorry to Whitewing within at least seven sunrises. If not, there will be consequences.'

'Did someone complain to you?' Ashfur challenged. 'Cloudtail, perhaps?'

His eyes narrowed. 'What are you suggesting?'

'Well, let's just say I thought it was a _leader's_ responsibility not to show favouritism towards their closest kin.'

Genuine anger entered Firestar's eyes, and his leader slowly got to his paws. 'How dare you suggest I'm being prejudicedtowards you!' he snarled.

'Why shouldn't I?' Ashfur retorted. 'After all, it appears that a large amount of your family are in control in this Clan. Leafpool's your daughter and Brambleclaw is the _mate_ of your other daughter.' He had to prevent himself from spitting as he spoke. 'Coincidence? I think not.'

'Now you listen to me,' the ginger tom growled. He was clearly seething. 'I will not be spoken to like that in my own den. I'm your leader. You me should show more respect.'

'I don't see a reason why I should when you show such little respect to m-'

'Enough!' Firestar shouted, effectively cutting off the dark grey tom's protest. His pelt had fluffed out to twice it's normal size, and an unnerving silence enveloped the den.

For awhile, all the two cats did was glare at each other. Ashfur's expression was mutinous; no matter how much his head told him to take back what he'd said, he couldn't now. Firestar was breathing in and out heavily, his eyes burning, but Ashfur refused to be intimidated. _It's him_ _who's_ _being unreasonable!_ an icy voice growled inside him.

Eventually, his leader sat back down in his nest, although the tension refused to fade. It had settled like a cloud of blacksmoke. Ashfur felt tempted to speak, but it was Firestar who broke the quiet first.

'That was completely unacceptable,' he hissed. The tom was trying, and evidently struggling, to keep a calm voice. 'Let alone unnecessary.'

He waited, expecting a reply, but none came. Quickly, Firestar shook his head, allowing his cool to return. 'I can't believe thenerve of you!' he echoed, tapping his claw on the floor of the den. 'There's just no need for you to act like this, whether you're with me or your clan-mates.' His eyes narrowed down to slits. 'What have we done to deserve this sort of rudeness?' he demanded. 'Why of you seem to be so angry with everyone at the moment?'

'I don't know, Firestar,' Ashfur muttered, looking away.

'No, don't give me that. I want a proper answer.'

Ashfur would've replied if he'd been able to, but for some reason, he couldn't. The words wouldn't leave his mouth. There were a thousand things he wanted to say to Firestar, and a few thousand things he wanted to do to Firestar, none of them good. There was a slight pain in his chest when he looked at his leader, not only because of his connection to Squirrelflight but also because of something else. _You should be dead,_ Ashfur thought to himself. _If you were dead, I wouldn't even be like this._

'I'm sorry, Ashfur said, his voice empty of emotion. 'I can't tell you.'

Firestar watched him edgily. He looked about to open his mouth, only to let out a long, resigned sigh. 'I wish that you'd tell me. It would make things easier for both of us.'

'I'm sorry,' the dark grey tom repeated.

'You're a good warrior, Ashfur,' Firestar murmured. 'If you put your mind to it, you could become a great warrior. No one can doubt your hunting skills or your fighting efficiency. Previously, I'd thought that your loyalty was unflinching as well, but after this, the only thing I can say is that you've proved me wrong. It's disappointing.'

Ashfur's expression hardened. _Oh, and now he's insulting my loyalty!_

'But nevertheless, I feel inclined to give you a chance to redeem yourself, whether you deserve it or not.' Firestar said, raising his head again. 'Like I said earlier, you have seven days to swallow your pride and apologise to Whitewing, in addition to changing the way you act around your Clanmates. Otherwise, I'll be forced to take more serious action.'

He leaned in closer, so that his face was only inches away from Ashfur's. 'Don't waste this,' Firestar warned. 'I know that you're better than the way you'rebehaving at the moment.'

At this, Firestar leaned back, before nodding towards the entrance for him to leave. Ashfur didn't have to be asked twice, quickly dashing away from the scolding gaze of his leader. He didn't really know what to think about what had just happened. Blood pounded in his ears, giving away that he was furious, but the rest of his body felt oddly numb. He wanted to hit something, preferably a cat. If Firestar had known about the agony he was feeling, perhaps he would've been a little kinder. He had seven days to apologise did he? The Ashfur of a few seasons ago might of headed straight over to Whitewing to do just that, but he was hardly the same cat of a few seasons ago. Some stubborn and defiant part of himforced him to pad away from any other cats in the Clan and over to the warriors den. This time, he didn't have to ignore the looks he was getting from his clan-mates. Ashfur barely even noticed them.

Luckily, there was no one else in the den as he ducked inside and crashed into the feathers of his nest. He wouldn't have wanted anybody else to see him in the state he was in. The tom looked straight forward at the cold stone wall of the den. He wasn't looking at anything in particular, but his mind was raging inside his skull like a cornered rat. _I deserve more respect that this,_ Ashfur thought _, I'm a warrior of ThunderClan too, aren't I?_

 _Are you really?_ a cruel, familiar voice whispered back.

Ashfur shook his head. _Shut up._

 _Why should I? It's true._ The voice snarled back. _You don't really belong here, not anymore. Judging by_ _the way you tried to kill your leader, the warrior code means virtually nothing to you, and your clan-mates hate you. Why even stay?_

Ashfur wanted desperately to answer, but the worst part was that he didn't have one. Instead, he just closed his eyes, trying to tell himself the meeting with Firestar hadn't even happened. All he could think about was what his punishment would be if he didn't say sorry to Whitewingand start to treat everyone differently. Confinement to camp? Apprentice duties for a month? Whatever it was, Ashfur didn't want to know.

* * *

The moonlight spilled down into the camp, giving the cold stone walls an eerie feel. It was odd seeing it devoid of any cats, like it was empty or abandoned. They were all fast asleep in their dens, and without them, the camp seemed lifeless. The hunting grounds of StarClan glowed brightly overhead, lighting up the black sky. Leafpool peered out of her den, admiring them. She wondered what it was like up there, untouched by the stress of Clan life. Probably a lot better than her life was.

She had been staring at them for quite a long time, ever since she'd woken up in the middle of the night in fact. Leafpool found it comforting when she couldn't get to sleep. It happened a reasonable amount, after all. Eventually, she tore her eyes away and took a peek at Jaypaw, who was lying in his nest. His chest rose and fell in a relaxed rhythm, his blind eyes closed. She smiled at the sight. Her son couldn't snap at her while he wasasleep.

Over the past few days, Jaypaw's attitude towards Leafpool hadn't changed. He was still reluctant to get up in the morning, and still unenthusiastic training. The medicine cat understood that she had to give her apprentice time to adjust to the fact he couldn't become a warrior, but she would've hoped that he'd at least warmed up to her by now. _Stop worrying,_ Leafpool told herself, _he's still a young cat. How would you feel if you had to follow a destiny you hated?_

She turned away, back towards the camp. Leafpool felt restless. She had to get out and do something, instead of staying cooped up in the medicine cat den for the night. Looking at the treesthat seemed as black as shadows due to the light, her paws shifted. _A walk would probably do fine,_ she thought.

Making sure not to make any noise so that she wouldn't wake anyone up, Leafpool padded out into the camp clearing. It was completely silent- to a passing rogue, it would be like no one lived there at all. She made her way over to the camp entrance, before stopping just before she left. A sudden gust of wind blew through her fur, shaking the branches of the trees up ahead. For some unknown reason, she hesitated.

Leafpool shook herself. _What's wrong with you?_ she thought. _You're just being paranoid._ She padded into the forest, not giving herself a second chance to think about it.

It was pitch black. Leafpool could hardly see her paws in front of her face because of how dark it was. The thick leaves shrouded out whatever minimal light was coming from the moon and stars, leaving only small glimmers to break through the canopy. It didn't bother Leafpool though; she walked at a slow pace, enjoying the comforting scents of ThunderClan's territory and letting her paw steps take her wherever they wanted without protest. She found it quite therapeutic, allowing all her worries to disappear into the night. This sort of relief from her anxiety didn't come along that often.

She continued to pad through the forest for some time, until coming to stop when she found herself by the bushes that broke away into the lakeshore. It was easier to see the water than it was to see through the undergrowth. Leafpool shoved her way through the shrubs and onto the expanse of grass and sand that surrounded the lake. Water rolled forward and back in a gentle rhythm, washing over the medicine cat's paws as she reached the lake's edge. She glanced down at her reflection. The ripples denied her a clear image, but it struck the she-cat that she looked somewhat… different. There was a sadness in the pair of amber eyes in the water, an emotion that told a story of loss and heartbreak.

'What are you doing here?'

The voice startled Leafpool, and she jumped back in shock to see a dark grey tom glaring at her coldly. After a second where the medicine cat didn't say a word, taken back that there would be someone else awake at this time of night, she recognised him as Ashfur. He was stood a few fox lengths away, his tail kinked high over his shoulder. She wondered how long he had been watching her.

'Ashfur!' she stuttered. 'I didn't see you there.'

The tom didn't seem to register her, instead just repeating what he'd said first. 'What are you doing here?'

Leafpool didn't answer him at first. Her mind had gone black, and whether it was from the initial shock of seeing him or from her own lack of reasoning for being out of camp in the forest, she didn't have a clue how to reply. 'I was- uh- collecting some herbs,' she made up on the spot. Her voice rose at the last few words, making it sound more like a question than an answer.

Ashfur's ears flattened. 'Of course you were,' he returned sarcastically. 'Now tell me why you're actually here.'

She huffed. 'I wasn't following you, if that's what you think,' she said. There was no point in persisting on her excuse, as it was obvious that Ashfur believed her about as much as he believed that a dead mouse could fly. 'I just…'

'Well?' he pressed, sounding a little angry that she'd lied to him.

Leafpool sighed. 'I don't know, alright?' she murmured. 'I just couldn't get to sleep.'

There were a few moments of awkwardness where Leafpool couldn't meet Ashfur's gaze. She could tell that there would be scorn in his eyes, and she didn't want to face it. So she just stayed quiet, and didn't say a thing.

Finally, Ashfur scoffed. 'Whatever,' he replied curtly, settling down onto his haunches. 'You should get back to camp. It's late.'

When he said this, Leafpool suddenly realised that Ashfur had left camp too. _He doesn't have a right to talk to me like this!_ 'What about you?' she questioned. 'Why did you leave camp?'

His eyes contracted sharply. 'None of your business.'

'Yes it is!' she snapped hotly. 'Apparently, it's was your business why I left camp. Besides, I'm the medicine cat, and you're a warrior. You should show me more respect.'

'Oh please, don't give me that,' the tom snorted. 'I've had enough about respect from Firestar today already.'

Leafpool frowned. _What does he mean, he's had enough from Firestar already?_ Then, she remembered something that had happened earlier that day. When she had gone to get some prey from the fresh kill pile, she'd heard some of the warriors gossiping about the fact that her father had been talking with Ashfur in his den. They hadn't mentioned what about, but Leafpool was sure that she could guess. The whole tirade with Whitewing seemed to have been going on forever. And from the sound of his voice, it seemed that whatever Firestar had said hadn't been good.

'Is this about Whitewing?' she asked slowly. 'Is that you why you left camp?'

Ashfur's pelt bristled, and Leafpool thought that he might snap at her again. He didn't look too pleased that she'd brought up the subject, but thankfully, he decided against it. 'Yeah,' he mumbled. 'I guess it is.'

As soon as the words left his mouth, Ashfur's shoulders appeared to sag. His eyes drooped a bit, and his tail fell onto his paws. The sight of the usually proud tom looking so uncharacteristically despondent made her feel a burst of pity. She stepped forward, albeit uncertainly.

'Don't worry Ashfur,' Leafpool said, trying to make her voice sound as sympathetic as possible. 'You can talk to me about it if you want.'

But the sight of the medicine cat trying to comfort him seemed to snap Ashfur out of the downcast mood. He drew himself back up again, and the steely glint came back to blue eyes. 'No,' he told her.

'Are you sure?' Leafpool began to say.

'Yes,' Ashfur cut in. 'And it's still late. Like I said, you should get back to camp.'

Making sure not to provoke anymore anger out of the dark grey tom, Leafpool took another step towards him and spoke again, 'Honestly, I think both of us should be getting back to camp. Sleep would be the best thing for you at this point. _And for me,'_ she added, quieter.

The light tabby had hoped that Ashfur would agree to what she'd suggested straight away, but it was clear that he had no intention of doing so. Leafpool looked at him imploringly, just before he was about to protest, and then, he stopped. Their eyes met, light amber locking onto icy blue. She was reminded of a time in camp when the same thing had happened. Squirrelflight had been with her that time, but now, it was just them two, alone by the side of the lake. His expression changed to something that Leafpool couldn't interpret. It made her feel uncomfortable, but the depth of his stare was so captivating that she couldn't look away. It was almost like Ashfur had recognised something in her that he never thought he would see again.

Eventually, he took a deep breath. 'Okay, Leafpool,' he said calmly. 'Let's go back to camp.'

She forced herself to tear away from Ashfur's stare. 'Alright,' she managed to choke out, blinking rapidly.

But Ashfur didn't look away. He carried on looking at her, and Leafpool wondered whether they were going to move at all. But then, the tom turned around and started to pad back towards the bushes. He glanced back at her when he reached them, signalling for her to follow, and she did so after a momentary pause.

 _What in StarClan's name was that?_ she thought to herself, as she chased after him. _What came over me?_ Leafpool had never seen Ashfur act like that towards her. The level of intensity in his eyes had left her practically breathless, even though they'd hardly moved. Leafpool wanted to ask him what he'd been thinking about, but how could she? _We're not even friends!_ she felt like shouting. _His closeness to Squirrelflight always prevented any kind of friendship._ She looked him up and down uneasily from behind. He seemed completely at ease in contrast, far from the uptight cat she'd been talking to at the start of the conversation.

Ashfur began to slow his pace until Leafpool caught up with him. An owl shrieked loudly above them, and Leafpool shivered. A cloud had come over the moon, making everything around them even darker than before. For some reason, there was an apprehensive feeling in her gut, setting the she-cat on edge. She felt the need to talk to the cat beside her, ask him something, anything, but the power of speech had deserted her.

As they neared the camp, Leafpool began to sense something was happening to Ashfur. She could tell he was thinking hard by the way his cheeks were furrowed with concentration, and his tail lashed from side to side. He was thinking about something that was troubling him. Worry tugged at her like a thorn in her side. Now, Leafpool was adamant that something was wrong. All that she wanted was to get back to camp.

'Leafpool…'

All of a sudden, the medicine cat became aware that Ashfur had stopped moving. She closed her eyes, before opening them once more and twisting her head back to where the tom was standing. Whatever had been bothering him seemed to have stopped doing so, because now he was as unmoving as stone. His eyes were trailed on her pelt, and his face was full of the same emotion from before.

'Ashfur?' she called out shakily. 'Is there something wrong?'

He muttered something under his breath, a name that she couldn't make out, before slowly padding towards her. Leafpool could feel her heart pounding nervously in her chest as he approached. Once again, she felt the desire to move, to pull away and run back to camp, but her paws were rooted to the spot.

Ashfur came to within a few inches towards her before coming to a halt. He was so close that Leafpool could see all the specks of grey fur on his face. Her eyes widened when he looked down at her paws. His tail was brushing slightly against her own.

'What are you doing?' she whispered.

Only silence greeted her words. Ashfur just remained still. It was like time had stopped.

Then, he blinked once, slowly and meaningfully, before closing the gap between them and pressing his muzzle against her own. Despite the way he was acting, Leafpool still hadn't expected it. Surprise leaped through her body as if it had caught fire. She wanted to pull away, to scratch and yell at him, demand what he thought she was.

But there was something inexplicably gentle about the way his muzzle felt when Ashfur had moved in. He had touched her like she was something precious, or like she was the only thing in the entire world that mattered. It was completely, and utterly ridiculous. After all, they hardly even knew each other, but Ashfur didn't seem to think so. And whatever he was thinking about, whatever conclusion he had come to in his head, Leafpool couldn't bring herself to pull away.

Softly, Ashfur reached around her haunches with his tail and entwined it with her own. His eyes were closed, but Leafpool's were wide open. Because he was taller than her, she was being forced to crane her neck upwards just so that their muzzles would still meet. The trees were blurring over around her, transforming into a strange golden haze in which she couldn't tell one from the other. It was like she had lost herself in a swirling snowstorm of confusion. But now, it was too late to pull away. Ashfur was too close.

Whatever happened throughout the rest of that night, Leafpool had no idea.

* * *

 **Just to clarify, this doesn't mean that Ashfur and Leafpool are actually in love yet. It's just a VERY big step in the development between the two characters! Don't worry, Ashfur's full motives will be explained in the next chapter. :)**

 **I really hope you liked the chapter. The word count for this story was 4,756 words! Whew.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Hey everyone, and welcome back to A Greenleaf Breeze.**

 **Yep, I was busy writing the next chapter of Slaves during the time I wasn't writing this, so as usual go and check that out if you want to *shameless advertisement*. But anyway, a lot happened last chapter, so I'm super glad I finished up this one! I'm pretty proud of it as well, so I hope you enjoy it. XD**

 **Here are my replies to your wonderful reviews:**

 **PerfectlyClearly- Thanks so much for your review! I really appreciate it. Ashfur's motives are revealed in this chapter, so I think you should like it. :)**

 **RussianBlue279- Thanks a bunch for your continued reviews! Good to know you're enjoying the story. I really like Ashfur and Leafpool as characters. They're just so interesting, and I think it helps for writing when the focus of a story the you're really into the subject you're writing about. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

 **So last chapter, Ashfur and Leafpool spent their first night together, albeit without too much affection shared. This chapter's primary focus is explaining why everything took place as it did, with a lot of focus put into the consequences of their actions. I think you guys are gonna really like this one!**

* * *

 **A Greenleaf Breeze**

 **Chapter Four:**

When Ashfur woke up, it was sunrise. His pelt was warm, and his tongue was coarse and dry. There was something pressed up against the side of his face, something that didn't feel like the usual moss and feathers of his nest. _That was a strange dream,_ Ashfur thought. _I was with someone, out in the forest…_

Groggily, he blinked his eyes open. Once the blurriness had subsided, he felt a wave of surprise flicker through him. Instead of the walls of the warriors den that he'd grown used to, Ashfur was surrounded by trees. Sunlight streamed in through the gaps in the branches, and the tom could hear the chirping of early morning birds up above. The particular tree he was lying under was larger than most, reaching up almost longingly towards the sky. It cast a long shadow, which provided a certain relief from the sun's warmth. Still, he hadn't seen a day so bright in moons.

For a moment, Ashfur just stared straight forward, a little shocked, before lifting his head off the ground. His muscles were aching, and there was an odd tingling sensation in his paws. Everything felt strangely surreal. He breathed in deeply, allowing the scents of the forest to flow into his nostrils. There were the usual rich aromas of prey, but another smell lingered in the air. The scent of a cat. He breathed in again, and it him who the cat was.

Suddenly, memories flowed back into Ashfur's mind. He remembered deciding to go for a walk, and coming across Leafpool by the lake. He remembered the way their eyes had met, and the feelings the eye contact had provoked. He remembered how they'd fallen asleep together under the light of the moon and a billion stars. No wonder he'd thought it was a dream, no wonder everything felt so bizarre.

Ashfur sat up onto his haunches and began to lick his ruffled chest fur. As he groomed himself, he tried to get his head round what had happened. It was confusing; although it was only last night, it felt like it had happened a long time ago. There was a question playing through his head. _Why did I do it?_ The tom wasn't sure. When he had met Leafpool by the lake, he'd felt nothing for her, except a cold indifference because of who her sister was. But it was because she bore such a strong resemblance to Squirrelflight in her body shape and stature that had changed everything. He recalled how it felt like he had been hypnotised when he looked into Leafpool's eyes. Despite the fact they were amber and not pale green, it had been like the ginger she-cat he'd once loved had been standing right there in front of him. For the rest of the night, Ashfur had seen nothing else. He'd imagined it was Squirrelflight's muzzle that was pressed up against his own. He'd imagined it was Squirrelflight who he'd fallen asleep beside. It had all been her.

After Ashfur had finished washing, he glanced down at the spot where he knew Leafpool had been. He ran his paw over the earth, as if the pretty she-cat's compact body was still there, and smirked. Some of his more feral instincts roared like a tiger within him. He was fuelled by an overwhelming desire to touch her again, to feel her pressed up against him. The icy voice whispered in his ear with words like poison. _StarClan, when did a she-cat ever feel that good?_

Slowly, Ashfur got up to his paws. For a second, they felt so shaky and weak that he thought they might buckle underneath him, but thankfully, they held firm. There was only one thing on his mind, and Ashfur was determined to carry it out. He began to pad away from the shadow of the tree, heading back towards the ThunderClan camp, where he knew Leafpool would be. Seeing her again felt remarkably important considering how little he knew about her.

He padded back to camp in a daze. His mind was consumed by thoughts of the medicine cat, and indeed, all the consequences their meeting could result in. Despite the fact he had been breaking the warrior code, he felt oddly unaffected by it all. Petty things such as the warrior code didn't bother Ashfur as much as they used to. All he cared about was finding her again. When he reached the camp, he only just remembered that his pelt probably stank of Leafpool's scent. Just before he ducked through the bramble tunnel, he made sure to roll around in a nearby patch of ferns to disguise his scent.

It was peculiar that the camp seemed so normal. Just an average day in the life of ThunderClan, for them anyway. It was still early, so not many cats were awake, but more and more warriors were appearing from their nests. Brambleclaw was awake, as well as Firestar, two cats who usually sparked fiery hatred inside him whenever he saw them, but this time, he was so away from everything that he didn't notice them. They hadn't organised the morning patrols yet, but when Brambleclaw saw him come in, he stood up and padded over.

'Ashfur,' the deputy said, sounding annoyed. 'Go out for _another_ morning walk?'

'I'm sorry Brambleclaw,' he replied absently. His mind was elsewhere. 'I won't do it again.'

The brown tabby looked surprised that he hadn't received a sharp retort. 'Oh, okay,' he said, ears twitching. 'Well, you'll be needed for a hunting patrol at sundown, so make sure you're not late.'

Ashfur shrugged, before weaving his way past him and heading over towards the medicine cat den. Just before he could escape, Brambleclaw stopped him.

'Are you alright, Ashfur?' he asked, tilting his head to one side. 'You look a bit distant.'

He shrugged again. Brambleclaw started to say something else, but then apparently decided against it, and nodded for him to leave.

Ashfur continued on his way over to the medicine cat's den. He could sense the deputy watching him from behind, but he ignored it. He didn't care what that foxheart thought of him. In fact, he didn't care what anyone thought of him at that moment, except for one.

* * *

'Um, hello?'

Leafpool had felt breathless ever since she'd arrived back at camp. It was like something immeasurably large had been crushed inside her, squeezing any of the air out of her lungs. She couldn't think at all. Her mind was full of stars and moonlight and dark grey fur, but most of all, utter disbelief. She couldn't comprehend what had taken place. _One second we were just talking,_ she thought, _the next we were-_

The medicine cat was trying to go about it all reasonably. She had woken up at the crack of dawn, before Ashfur had. Upon seeing him holding her so closely, their tails entwined, she'd pulled away as quietly as she could and dashed back to the safety of the camp. Luckily, no one had seemed to notice Leafpool's absence, but that didn't comfort her in anyway. She was lost in a whirlwind of confusing emotion, so strong she thought she might be sick, but she was also ashamed. After all the heartbreak she'd suffered the first time with Crowfeather, she'd only gone and broken the warrior code again. _You can't meet him anymore,_ she told herself, _you won't even be able to talk to him anymore. You hardly ever talked to him in the first place! He's a warrior, let alone the fact he was in love with your sister._

The thought struck her particularly hard. He was in love with Squirrelflight. How could she have let this happen, especially with a tom as off limits as Ashfur? She tried to take her mind back to when he'd turned towards her on the way back from the lake. Just imagining the way he'd held her in his paws made Leafpool feel woozy, like she'd eaten too much catmint. It was the feeling that came only when someone told you they loved you, and you loved them back. It made you feel special. She'd experienced it before, with Crowfeather, and ever since, she'd missed the feeling. Was that why she'd lost control? Because that was exactly what Ashfur had offered her?

Suddenly, the voice of a tom came again and Leafpool raised her head. She was so caught up in her own thoughts that she had barely noticed it. Jaypaw was sat in his nest, glaring at her with the usual annoyed expression on his face. He must've been waiting for her attention for some time, because when he spoke again, he sounded impatient.

'Good to know my esteemed mentor has the listening range of a stick,' the medicine cat apprentice said sarcastically.

Quickly, Leafpool shook herself and turned to face him. 'Sorry,' she apologised, forcing herself to concentrate. 'I was talking about- um-'

'Horsetail.'

'Oh yes, horsetail,' she murmured, now just feeling embarrassed. 'I'll have to go and collect some later.'

Jaypaw's ears twitched. He was looking straight in her direction, and even though she knew he couldn't really see her, it was like he was stripping her apart, layer by layer. 'What's going on, Leafpool?' he demanded suspiciously.

'What's going on?' she laughed, perhaps a little too quick. 'Nothing. Nothing at all.'

'Oh please, don't give me that foxdung,' he snorted. 'You're never usually this distracted.'

Leafpool pressed her lips together, deciding the best thing to do would to be to keep silent. She fully expected Jaypaw to keep pressing the matter, knowing his usual unsympathetic demeanour, but for once, he didn't continue. Instead, he just sat back in his nest and looked grumpy (apparently not much else had changed).

The she-cat longed to say something to him. Whenever her eyes fell upon her son, it was an unhappy reminder of happier times. _I've failed,_ Leafpool thought. _I've failed him, and his littermates, as a mother._ They knew nothing about their parents mistakes, nothing about their half-Clan heritage. If her terrible secret ever got out, it would ruin their lives in ThunderClan. Her heart yearned for a closer relationship with Jaypaw, one that reflected their maternal bond better, but she knew something like that that could never happen. He hated her for ruining his chance as a warrior, and now, by falling asleep with Ashfur, she'd managed to land herself with another secret to keep.

The two of them stayed in awkward silence for awhile, before eventually Jaypaw got up to his paws. 'I'm going,' he grunted. 'Hollypaw promised that she'd tell me about her training.'

Leafpool sensed the hidden meaning behind what her apprentice had said, but she didn't dare protest. He turned to leave, when suddenly, it occurred to Leafpool that she hadn't done any herb theory with Jaypaw in awhile.

'Wait!' she exclaimed, making him pause. 'Once I've finished here, I'll come and find you with Hollypaw so that we can go out together. There are still a few herbs we haven't covered yet.'

Jaypaw muttered something incoherent under his breath, but didn't complain aloud as he padded out of the den. She watched him head over to the fresh kill pile through the lichen. It seemed to be a recurring theme for the tom to just storm out of the den whenever he felt like it. Leafpool made a mental note to warn him about it at some point.

The she-cat let out a small sigh. The horsetail smelt stronger than it usually did. She begun to reorganise the pile, hoping it would serve as a distraction from the issues of Ashfur and Jaypaw, but now that she was alone in the den it was even worse. She did it anyway, moving them into order from old to new until she was satisfied. Her tail flicked nervously from side to side. There was a sense of paranoia inside her; she was worried someone might've been watching her with Ashfur last night. She knew that StarClan would have been doing so, and she also knew that they would be angry with her. _Will they ever speak to me again after this?_ she thought. _Why would they, not that Ive betrayed the warrior code twice?_

Suddenly, she heard the sound of paw steps at the front of the den. Someone must've come for treatment. Leafpool forced a smile onto her a face, hoping that she looked normal, and turned around to greet the cat-

Her heart leaped into her throat when she saw who it was. Ashfur.

The dark grey tomcat was stood in the frame of the entrance, his icy blue eyes flashing in the sunlight behind him. He appeared massive to her, filling up the whole den. She heard a sharp intake of breath, nervous and tense. The medicine cat wondered who it had been, before realising it had come from her.

Their eyes met, and once more, Leafpool found herself captivated by the depth of emotion in his stare. It was strong and powerful, totally unflinching. She had to pull her eyes away from them, but she knew Ashfur certainly didn't. He was looking her up and down, from her paws to the top of her head.

'Morning,' he said. The smallest of smirks was evident on his lips.

She couldn't reply. The presence of Ashfur in the den had made everything seem totally different, like she wasn't in the same place anymore. Once the original shock of seeming him had passed, she recovered herself and tried to face him with a level expression.

'M-morning Ashfur,' Leafpool stuttered. She desperately wanted to say something else to him, something that reflected the emotions that were raging inside her, but she couldn't find the words.

The tom stared at her for a moment longer, before padding into the den fully. He sniffed as the scent of the herbs hit his nostrils. 'Are you glad to see me?' he asked, as he reached forward and brushed his claws against one of the piles of herbs on the side.

Leafpool clasped and unclasped her paws together awkwardly. She was looking straight down at the floor. 'I'm not sure I am,' she murmured.

Ashfur appeared surprised at this. He withdrew his paw and faced her square on. 'And why's that?'

She opened her mouth, but nothing came out.

He tapped his paw with the tip of his tail. Leafpool didn't think he even knew he'd done it, before finally, he took a step closer to the she-cat. 'And why's that?' he repeated.

Leafpool shook her head, still unable to answer. Self consciously, she took a step back, not wanting the dark grey tom to get too close. 'Look, Ashfur,' she said, trying to keep her voice from wavering. 'What happened last night. It should never have happened.'

His eyes narrowed as soon as the words passed her lips, but she carried on before he could interrupt. 'It's against the warrior code! It goes against everything it means to be a Clan cat.'

Ashfur took another step closer before she could react. His expression was dark. 'Oh, and I assume you know everything there is to know about that, don't you Leafpool?

The reference to her relationship with Crowfeather stung painfully, and she wished that she could contradict him, tell him that he was wrong, but she knew she couldn't. 'That- that doesn't matter,' she told him weakly. 'I can't ever meet you like I did last night.'

Ashfur curled his lip, and for a second, she thought that he might hiss at her. He managed to stop himself just in time. 'Then why did you do it?'

'Do what?'

'Why did you fall asleep with me?'

Leafpool thought about it for a moment, and a few answers came to mind. _It was flattering! I couldn't hep myself! You deceived me!_ She considered telling him the conclusion she'd come to earlier, about missing the feeling of love and affection that Crowfeather gave her, but for some reason, none of them felt entirely truthful. She didn't want to lie to Ashfur. If he deserved anything at all from her, it was the truth.

'I don't know,' she mumbled.

Ashfur nodded, and as if from nowhere, the smirk reappeared on his face. 'Well, I think I know,' he replied, leaning in so that their muzzles were nearly touching.

Now that he was this close, Leafpool was painfully aware of just how much taller than her he was. She struggled to keep herself calm. For the second time in two days, her whiskers were brushing against Ashfur's. 'What?' she said helplessly.

He reached around so that he could whisper into her ear. 'I think you just couldn't resist.'

Gently, he pressed his muzzle into the side of her neck, and rested his paw on her own. Leafpool's eyes fluttered closed, and her throat began to throb with purring. She felt the vibrations as Ashfur joined in, pulling her closer until she could feel the outline of his chest and the muscles beneath. Just like that the previous night, every fibre of her body was screaming at her to pull away, but some part of her didn't want to. She enjoyed the feeling of Ashfur's muzzle, and the soothing caress of his tongue on her fur. It was against the warrior code, but in that soft, wondrous moment, she didn't care. Any form of logic was irrelevant.

But soon enough, the moment passed. Reluctantly, Leafpool pulled herself away from the warmth of his muzzle. His paws still ensnared her within his grasp, but the intimate contact had been broken.

'Ashfur,' she whispered. 'This is-'

'Amazing?'

'Wrong.'

At this, Ashfur did pull away. The annoyed, darkened expression had returned to his face. 'Don't talk to me about right and wrong, Leafpool,' he snapped. 'You want this just as much as I do.'

The medicine cat shook her head, but there was a sinking feeling in her gut. The dark grey tom glared at her angrily for a second, before turning his back. 'Meet me by the same tree where we slept last night. Moonhigh, out in the forest.'

Leafpool's eyes widened in horror. 'Ashfur, I can't.'

He laughed, but didn't turn back around. 'Oh but you can, and you will.'

'You can't make me.'

Ashfur's shoulders stiffened, just as he was about to leave the den. 'Who said that I had to make you?'

And before she could say another word, the tom disappeared out into the camp, leaving her alone for the second time that day.

Leafpool was still dumbfounded long after he'd gone. Her breathing was fast and shallow, and her chest felt heavy. It was like something was slipping away through her paws, faster than she could blink. What was happening to her? What was going on? It had taken her moons to salvage her reputation in ThunderClan after the first time, and now, she could be about to ruin it again. She hoped that Ashfur would come back in, so that she could explain how it was impossible for any kind of relationship between them to work. She hoped he would just accept it would a smile and a nod, so that they just put all of it behind them and never worry about it again. But of course, that wasn't the case.

She closed her eyes for a moment; perhaps it would all be a dream. When she opened them, she was still very much awake. Leafpool tried to pull herself together. _Come on!_ she thought. _You can't dwindle of this. You promised you'd take Jaypaw out for training._

Her resolve helped her to ignore what had just transpired with Ashfur. She padded forward, her face completely monotonous, and stepped outside into the camp. Jaypaw and Hollypaw were sat by the fresh kill, enjoying some prey together. Leafpool dared not look around in case Ashfur was there as well, and for once, looking at her son and daughter sat like that didn't bother her.

'Hey!' she called out, as she approached. 'It's time to go training.'

Jaypaw raised his head when Leafpool reached him, having picked up her scent. 'Do we have to go now?' he complained. 'Hollypaw was just telling me-'

'No excuses,' she interrupted tersely. 'We're going.'

Jaypaw groaned, before muttering an apology to Hollypaw that he couldn't stay longer. She smiled, gesturing it was fine. Reluctantly, the tom followed Leafpool away from his prey towards the entrance. Her mind had gone blank about what herbs she was going to teach him about, but the medicine cat sensed it would help her stress if she was away from the rest of the Clan.

She let Jaypaw to leave the camp first, allowing her to spare one last look around at her Clan mates. She found that she couldn't see Ashfur amongst the crowds, but she didn't bother to look, following her apprentice out gratefully.

* * *

It was night time again. The sun had given away to the inky black sky, and the stars were shining as brightly as ever. Leafpool glanced up at them, pondering whether the disapproving eyes of StarClan were trailed solely on her.

She was back where she'd fallen asleep the previous night. The tree, now when she had more time to concentrate on it, was old and rotting. The minimal leaves left on the branches were brown and orange already, much different to the sharp green colour of the rest of the foliage. It wasn't quite moonhigh yet, but Leafpool had arrived early. After she'd finished her session with Jaypaw, she'd headed almost directly over to where Ashfur had told her to meet him.

She felt terrible. Despite the fact she'd begged herself not to go, not to break the warrior code any more than she'd already had, she had still given into the temptation and come to the spot. It was exactly like Ashfur had said. She just hadn't been able to resist.

The deathly silence was making her impatient. Was he going to turn up at all, or had she just been set up? _But why would he do that?_ Leafpool argued with herself. _It would be pointless. Right?_

Then, a nearby twig snapped. She got up to her paws, staring intently at where the noise had come from. A familiar scent hit her nose, and from the gloom emerged a pair of blue eyes. He had come.

Ashfur moved forward until he was fully in sight, and then shook himself of the remnants of the undergrowth he'd come through. He didn't look at all surprised at her presence. Instead, the same smirk remained prominent on his face.

'You came,' he breathed.

'Yes,' Leafpool said. 'I did.'

He padded closer, and this time, Leafpool didn't back away. 'You said that you wouldn't.'

She inhaled slowly through her nose, before meeting his gaze as calmly as she could. 'Did you really believe that?'

* * *

 **So that's the end of Chapter Four! As usual, I'll get going on Chapter Five as soon as I've finished up Chapter... I think it's Chapter Eleven of Slaves. Jesus, I'm losing track of my own story! :D**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's Note: Hey guys, and welcome back to the long awaited fifth chapter of A Greenleaf Breeze.**

 **Yeah I know, I should be locked up for how long this chapter took, and to be honest, the only excuse I have is Writer's Block. I literally just couldn't force myself to sit down and write, but now I've got this chapter out, I'm hoping the next update will be slightly quicker.**

 **Always, here are my replies to your awesome reviews!-**

 **Burning Bright Flames- Thanks very much for your awesome review! I really appreciate it. Also, thanks for pointing it out, but in England we're taught at school to write speech like this 'Thanks!' Leafpool said. Really sorry if it's annoying, but that's just how I write. :)**

 **Sorrelshine of ShadowClan- Thanks very much! I'm really glad you like the story. XD**

 **RussianBlue279- Thanks very much for another awesome review! Indeed, I have read the new Warriors book, and I had pretty mixed opinions on it. Personally, I thought Sparkpaw was literally just a complete reworking of Squirrelflight, but I did enjoy reading about Alderpaw. I also thought the plot was pretty weak, and didn't stand up to fulfil the novel. It felt kinda rushed to me as well, like the Erins just hadn't bothered to be honest. I did like the added depth they gave Sandstorm though, and it was nice to see she finally got a send off. :)**

 **So this chapter is concentrating more on character development than anything else. It's important in the make up of the story though, as next chapter something pretty important going to happen. But in the mean time, hope you enjoy Chapter Five!**

 **Please RR! :P**

* * *

 **A Greenleaf Breeze**

 **Chapter Five:**

Leafpool gently pulled the marigold stem out of the ground, before dropping it on the pile behind her. She was out in the forest, collecting herbs. The ShadowClan border was nearby, and their scent, although disguised by the undergrowth around her, was evident on the wind. It reminded her of frogs and pine trees, all things typical of their neighbours. The medicine cat sniffed. Recently, she'd forgotten there was any other Clan around the lake at all.

It had been two sunrises since the first night she'd spent with Ashfur. The time had passed in a daze, almost like nothing had happened at all. During the day she'd done the normal things; waking up, going out with Jaypaw for training, but at night, her life had been consumed by Ashfur. They met at the same place every night, by the old rotting tree. Yesterday, they'd discovered it's trunk was hollow, and so slept inside together. Ashfur had even made nest for them.

Lafpool sighed quietly. The thought of their relationship was bittersweet. One part of her was conflicted by desire and loyalty to the warrior code, whereas the other part wanted to shout it's happiness all the way to StarClan. It was true after all. She hadn't felt this good in months. Whenever she was with Ashfur, all of her worries and regret were washed away in a whirlwind of strange emotion, but she also felt intimidated by him. The look in his eyes was always so intense and passionate, certainly not the expression of a cat she'd hardly spoken to. At least, not before two sunrises ago.

Now that the she-cat really considered, the amount she actually knew about Ashfur was scarily limited. Who's his best friend? What's his favourite type of freshkill? Surely these were things she should know about a tom she was breaking the warrior code to meet. In fact, the only contact she'd ever had with him before was purely down to the fact he had been in love with her sister.

Leafpool didn't like to that about that. It made her feel uncomfortable. If Squirrelflight ever found out about their forbidden relationship, what would she say? What made it all the more ridiculous was that Leafpool knew she didn't love him. When she had been with Crowfeather, _that_ was love. Her feelings towards Ashfur were confusing, but nowhere near as strong. After all, it had been him who started their affair.

She reached forward for another marigold leaf, only to realise the whole plant had already been picked bare. The she-cat counted the pile behind her, just to make sure she'd collected enough. Once she was satisfied, Leafpool scooped the herbs up into her mouth and started to pad back to camp.

Unexpectedly, the noise of many paws crunching on the forest floor echoed into her ears. A ThunderClan patrol was coming. Leafpool breathed in deeply, trying to distinguish some of the cats, and the scent of her sister made her eyes brighten up. _Squirrelflight!_ she thought.

The patrol came padding through the bushes, chatting loudly. It struck her they probably hadn't been concentrating too much on marking the ShadowClan border, more so on enjoying the beautiful weather. The hottest days of Greenleaf appeared to have past now, and even though the sun still shone fiercely, the heat had certainly decreased. There were only four cats on the patrol: Berrynose, Sorreltail, Squirrelflight and Whitewing. When the medicine cat's eyes met her sister's the usual looks of affection were passed between though, although oddly, she found most of her attention being caught by Whitewing. The she-cat was listening to a story Berrynose was telling her, one that probably revolved around the arrogant warrior easily catching an enormous piece of prey. The reason she was more interested in Whitewing was because of her feud between her and Ashfur. He hadn't really mentioned it to her, but the gossip she'd picked up from the rest of the Clan was that Firestar had given him seven days to apologise to Whitewing for what he said to her on patrol. It seemed like a big fuss over nothing to Leafpool, but the Clan ate up rifts in friendships like this. There wasn't much else going on, after all.

'Leafpool!' Squirrelflight exclaimed, jumping forward until their muzzles touched. 'What are you doing out here?'

'Collecting herbs,' Leafpool replied, gesturing towards the marigold. 'The weather's so good, everything seems to be growing ridiculously fast.'

The ginger she-cat sniffed. 'I wish being a warrior was as entertaining as being a medicine cat then. There hasn't been a good fight in moons.'

Leafpool's ears perked up. 'Aren't you enjoying the peace?'

'Of course I am,' Squirrelflight said quickly. 'It's just that it sure is boring when there's nothing to do.'

'Um, Squirrelflight?' Berrynose echoed loudly, sounding impatient. 'You are leading a patrol, remember?'

Her sister blinked at him apologetically. 'Sorry,' she replied.

Squirrelfllight led Berrynose and the rest of the patrol back towards the bushes, but before they left, she called over her shoulder. 'Are you finished here? If you are, why not tag along with us back to camp?'

Leafpool smiled, and then nodded. 'Sure!'

The medicine cat fell into step at the back of the patrol as they headed off, herbs clamped in her jaws. At the front, Berrynose had his chest puffed out, apparently discussing something with Squirrelflight. Sorreltail and Whitewing gossiped with hushed voices behind them. None of them offered to help carry the marigold, despite the fact it was clearly asking too much of Leafpool to do it on her own. Because of this, she found herself trailing behind, struggling to keep up with the pace of her Clan-mates.

The she-cat was about to call out for some help herself, when finally, Whitewing appeared to notice. The warrior quickly broke off her conversation with Sorreltail and dropped back, waiting for her to catch up. Leafpool thanked her, before allowing Whitewing to take some of the herbs off her paws.

The two cats padded side by side in silence. Apart from the chatter of the rest of the patrol up ahead, it was like not a sound could be heard in the whole forest. Leafpool glanced at the she-cat, feeling the need to ask her something. The odd feeling of interest tugged at her side.

'So,' she said, breaking the quiet. 'How's life at the moment for you?'

The question seemed awkward and stiff, but Whitewing accepted the invitation to talk gladly.

'Yeah everything's fine,' the she-cat replied. 'What Squirrelflight said sums it up really. It's not exactly thrilling, but the peace is good for the Clan. I'd rather be doing nothing that fighting a war.' Leafpool considered asking her about Ashfur, as that was what she really wanted to know about, but it struck her it might seem a little blunt. After a moment's pause, she opened her mouth to speak, but Whitewing beat her to it. 'You sound like you're enjoying yourself though,' she said brightly. 'Is Jaypaw's training going well?'

The medicine cat's ears twitched. 'Mostly,' she murmured. 'At least, I think so. You know how grumpy Jaypaw is.'

Whitewing nudged her sympathetically. 'I don't blame him for being like that, with his disability and all. The fact he couldn't be a warrior must've really hit him hard.'

Leafpool sighed. 'I guess…'

'Plus, there's extra pressure on him to do well because of how much Lionpaw is improving right now,' she adde reassuringly. 'Yesterday, he came back to camp with two whole rabbits!'

The look of admiration in the warrior's eyes made Leafpool's heart feel warm. Usually, she tried to avoid thinking about her secret litter of kits completely (although having Jaypaw's presence in her den every day made it quite difficult), but whenever someone talked about Lionpaw or Hollypaw in this way, she couldn't ignore the warm feelings it provoked in her chest. 'Really?' she asked, trying to contain her pleasure.

'Yes,' Whitewing said, letting out a long sigh. 'Ashfur must be teaching him well.'

Instantly, Leafpool raised her head a little more. Unintentionally, she'd managed to get the conversation to swing in Ashfur's direction. Making sure to look as disinterested as possible, she opened her mouth to speak. 'Oh yeah, what's all this I heard about you and him falling out?' she queried.

Whitewing glanced at her paws, embarrassed. 'It's nothing really-' she hesitated. 'We just had a bit of a disagreement over something. It's definitely not worth as many cats getting involved as they have.'

'Firestar didn't seem to think so,' Leafpool pressed, leaning in closer. 'Did you mention something he didn't like? What was it?'

Suddenly, a voice from up ahead rang out. 'Are you talking about Ashfur?' Sorreltail called back at them. She must've overhead them.

'Oh no,' Whitewing said quickly. 'Leafpool was just asking me about… uh…' she trailed off.

The medicine cat tilted her to one side. She wondered why Whitewing was trying to avoid questions about Ashfur. Surely if he'd insulted her badly enough for her leader to get involved, she'd _want_ to tell cats about it. True, the white she-cat had never seemed like the cat who'd want attention, but it still seemed bizarre to Leafpool. Was the subject they'd "disagreed" over so sensitive she didn't want anyone else to know?

But now that Sorreltail had realised what they were talking about, there was no way Whitewing could stop the incoming flurry of interest. She shouted out to Squirrelfight and Berrynose, telling them what was going on, and they stopped for the other patrol members to catch up with them. Soon, Whitewing was being barraged with questions about Ashfur, everything from simply "Why was he so rude to you?" to "Did you try to hurt him?". From the looks of it, no one knew what was going on. Leafpool was astounded they cared so much about something that didn't concern them in the slightest. Obviously, she had her reasons for being intrigued, but for this to be a hot topic, the Clan had to be really bored.

Finally, Whitewing seemed to lose her patience. 'Look, all you need to know is that Firestar's sorted it out. Ashfur's going to apologise in seven sunrises, and then this whole will blow over. _That's it_.'

Unfortunately, Sorreltail didn't seem to hear her. 'I think Ashfur's just being a mousebrain,' she said. 'I've never really liked him. He always hangs around on his own, looking grumpy.'

Squirelflight nodded, her expression grave, but Berrynose jumped to the tom's defence. 'That's unfair. He's perfectly fine most of the time.'

'Not really,' Sorreltail countered. 'In fact, I don't think he's been normal since-'

'That doesn't matter,' Squirrelflight interrupted. 'All that matters is that he's being a foxheart at the moment. If you ask me, Firestar should give him a stern punishment even if he doesn't apologise in seven sunrises.'

An unexpected wave of anger washed over Leafpool, cold and unfriendly. She didn't like the way her sister was talking about Ashfur. Even if she wasn't sure what her relationship with him was truly about, she knew that she wouldn't step back and let someone insult him, even if it was Squirrelflight.

'You can't say that,' Leafpool argued, her eyes narrowed slightly. 'You don't even know what he and Whitewing disagreed about.'

For a moment, all Squirrelflight did was look surprised. She clearly hadn't thought Leafpool would openly oppose something she said, but then, her expression turned steely. 'Neither do you,' she retorted. 'And to be honest, I think I know what Ashfur's really like a lot better than you do.'

'That doesn't give you the right to judge him though!'

'I'll judge anyone who I want to, _sis.'_

Leafpool opened her mouth to snap something back, but before she could, Whitewing cut in. 'Stop squabbling!' she exclaimed desperately. 'This doesn't even concern you!'

The two sisters glared at each other, eyes full of annoyance. It felt wrong to see that kind of emotion in Squirrelflight's eyes. She was used to seeing only affection in their green depths, not this sort of disapproval. The medicine cat was the first to look away, uncomfortable.

The other members of the patrol glanced at each awkwardly, also a little shocked to see the siblings so close fighting. Berrynose was the first to step forward.

'Well, patrol leader,' he said, with a hint of sarcasm. 'I guess we must be heading back to camp?'

Squirrelflight stared at him venomously for a moment, before nodding. 'Yes, we must Berrynose.'

The ginger she-cat turned around, her pelt bristling. Berrynose eyed Leafpool warily, before padding after their patrol leader, along with Whitewing and Sorreltail. Once again, the medicine cat found herself trailing behind them.

This was the second time she'd had an argument with Squirrelflight over Ashfur in a moon. In fact, it might've been the second time she'd had an argument with Squirrelflight in her life.

* * *

The flavours of the sparrow felt delicious inside Ashfur's mouth. He was sat with a couple of other warriors, Brackenfur and Birchfall, underneath the shadow of the leader's den. They were sharing tongues in the sun, whereas Ashfur was simply relaxing. It had been awhile since he'd been able to enjoy something as trivial as this, as his mind was usually plagued by thoughts of revenge and heartbreak. Not so for the past two sunrises.

Slowly, his eyelids fluttered open to reveal the stone walls of the camp, bathed in sunlight. He'd been half asleep for awhile. There hadn't been any patrols to go on, and Lionpaw hadn't decided to bother him with training, so he had a free afternoon. And during the time he'd been there, he'd spent most of the time thinking about the night to come. Leafpool wasn't in camp; she'd left to collect herbs earlier.

The tom wondered whether Leafpool thought about him as much as he thought about her. Whether there always seemed to be a picture of his body in her mind, whether the sound of his voice always seemed to be echoing in her ears. It was an odd sensation, but relieving too. Ashfur would much rather be thinking about Leafpool than her sister. In the two nights he'd spent with the medicine cat, he'd found himself imagining Squirrelflight was there numerous times. Something about the light brown tabby's posture, something about the twinkle in her eyes… the similarities were undeniable.

Ashfur shoved the thoughts away. He didn't want the tranquility of the moment to be ruined, although it seemed that Brackenfur did. The ginger tom was nudging him, trying to get his attention. Reluctantly, Ashfur sat up, pushing his half-eaten sparrow aside. 'Yes?'

Brackenfur grinned. 'Sorry. You were lying so still me and Birchfall thought you were asleep.'

As the two warriors laughed, Ashfur rolled his eyes. 'Ha ha ha. Very funny,' he said sarcastically, his tail twitching.

'Relax Ashfur!' Birchfall replied playfully. 'We were just joking.'

The three warriors chatted for awhile, or rather, Birchfall and Brackenfur chatted while Ashfur watched. He wasn't interested in their nonsensical gossip, although he didn't complain about it. All the while, the dark grey tom sensed eyes trailed on his back. Some of his Clan-mates were looking at him. He knew perfectly well why- it was another topic he was trying not to think about.

Eventually, Birchall seemed to get bored of their conversation, turning to face Ashfur. There was undisguised curiosity in his eyes. 'So, Ashfur, why did Firestar invite you to his den?'

He felt like snapping at the young warrior. _What does it matter to you?_ he thought frustratedly. Too many cats had asked him that exact question recently. 'It's about the Whitewing thing,' Ashfur said bluntly. 'I've been given seven days to apologise or else I get some sort of punishment.'

Birchfall nodded, and didn't carry on asking questions, but Brackenfur didn't seem to pick up on the fact he didn't want to talk about it. 'You haven't apologised yet thought, have you?' he pointed out.

Ashfur wanted to protest, but he knew it was true. He _hadn't_ apologised to Whitewing yet, even though he knew he would have to soon. He just didn't want to swallow his pride at the moment, and besides, he had much more pressing things to think about. Much more important things to think about.

As if on queue, the familiar scents of two cats wafted into his nose. He twisted his head to see Squirreflight entering the camp with the other members of a border patrol she'd been on, and behind, her sister. Ashfur's attention was taken up almost immediately by Leafpool. Their eyes met fleetingly, before the she-cat looked away. It made him smile a little.

He was looking forward to meeting her when night came.

* * *

 **So what did you think of this chapter? Please drop a review and tell me what you think!**


End file.
